Of all the recent Linux distros, few have been as successful as MEPIS. MEPIS appeared out of nowhere in May 2003, and by September 2003, it had jumped to 10th on the Distrowatch list of the most popular Linux distributions. Since that promising start, the fortunes of MEPIS have continued to rise. This enigmatic Linux known for its small distro charm is still putting up big distro numbers, currently ranking 4th at Distrowatch - ahead of heavy hitters such as Mandriva, Debian, Knoppix, and Gentoo.
The reason for the success of MEPIS is its reputation for smart simplicity. With MEPIS, you'll find what you need without a lot of messy edges. We're proud to bring you SimplyMEPIS as this month's Linux Magazine DVD.
Previous MEPIS versions were based on Debian, but starting with this release, MEPIS is based on Ubuntu. SimplyMEPIS 6.0 is 75% Ubuntu maintained. Out of the remaining 25%, most of the packages are still maintained by Debian, but, according to the MEPIS developers, some are maintained directly by MEPIS, providing an effect they call "The Magic of MEPIS." Special MEPIS features include a custom installer and tweaks to many standard tools for smoother operations.
MEPIS comes with a security-patched Linux 2.6.15 kernel from Ubuntu Security. You'll also find KDE 3.5.3, OpenOffice 2.0.2, Kontact 1.2.3, and Firefox 1.504. The Synaptic 0.57.8 package manager acts as a front-end to the Debian-based apt package tool. SimplyMEPIS also offers multimedia integration and advanced hardware detection.
The brand new DVD version of SimplyMEPIS included in this issue has never before been bundled with any other magazine. This DVD includes a full version of SimplyMEPIS 6, plus the contents of the MEPIS Extras CDs. The Extras CDs contain hundreds of extra applications not found in the standard CD-sized SimplyMEPIS. Extras include documentation, games, servers, software development tools, and language support.
Many Linux users have started up SimplyMEPIS and never gone back. The very practical SimplyMEPIS is easy to install and even easier to use. MEPIS is designed to appeal to beginners, but even if you're not a beginner, you'll appreciate the ease of navigation.
The Extras included with this DVD make this version of MEPIS especially appealing to advanced users who want the simplicity of MEPIS with the power to integrate additional servers, admin apps, and developer tools. There has never been a better time to try SimplyMEPIS. Plug it in and enjoy!
| Working with MEPIS |
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If you like working with MEPIS, you may wish to purchase a subscription, which entitles you to updates and other benefits. To subscribe to MEPIS, or to make a US$ 5 contribution to the MEPIS development project, see the MEPIS store http://store.mepis.com. |
| System Requirements |
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Processor: Intel Pentium or equivalent, including Celeron, Xeon, AMD, and AMD64. Memory: 64 MB RAM with a 128 MB swap partition. Hard Disk: 2 GB hard drive. SimplyMEPIS does not currently support booting from SCSI hard drives. Please note that if your system only meets these minimum requirements, it may be necessary to adapt the configuration manually. |
| Help & Support |
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For MEPIS support, try the MEPIS community forum: http://www.mepis.org/forum. You'll find some Howtos on MEPIS topics at http://www.mepis.org/node/1083. Another important source of MEPIS configuration and troubleshooting advice is the MEPIS Lover's site at http://www.mepislovers.com. |
| Highlights |
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Linux kernel 2.6.15 KDE 3.5.3 OpenOffice 2.0.2 Kontact 1.2.3 Firefox 1.504 Thunderbird Gimp K3b Synaptic 0.57.8 ClamAV KOffice Kaffeine Kopete KPhone GCC Kdevelop Eclipse Mono Python PHP Perl Apache Samba Bind |
| Additional Resources |
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[1] MEPIS home: http://www.mepis.org [2] MEPIS User Guide http://www.mepis.org/node/6679 [3] SimplyMEPIS Troubleshooting Guide http://www.mepis.org/node/5514 [4] More information: http://www.mepis.org/node/7238 |